Matter of Choice
by Cinnamon secrets
Summary: King Arthur failed in fulfilling his destiny; a curse was set on the Kingdom. He was punished to relive his actions until justice was served. Now, being reincarnated as Wyatt Halliwell, he knew there had to be a catch full summary inside story .


**Title:** Matter of choice.

**Fandom:** Merlin.

**Characters/Pairing:** Merlin/Arthur.

**Rating:** PG-15.

**Warnings:** AU, reincarnation fic, and based on "Charmed". It's not necessary to be familiarized with Charmed, but it sure would help. The plot of Charmed was changed to fit the prompt. Some inaccuracies on terminology. Modern times, and perhaps bad grammar and weird ideas. (Hey, I try to warn for everything). Unbetaed.

**Beta:** Unbetaed at the moment, but lovely **Missy_sansin** helped to fix whatever mistakes she noticed. We are trying to see if grammar softwares work.

**Summary:** When King Arthur failed in fulfilling his destiny, a curse was set on the Kingdom; he was punished to experience again his actions until justice was served. Now, being reincarnated as Wyatt Halliwell, the Twice Blessed, he knew there had to be a catch in this, and it probably involved his very rude Whitelighter, Chris… or should he say, Merlin. AU based on 'Charmed' (in this story Wyatt and Chris aren't related).

**A/N:**Long summary, I know. This responds to the prompt "Merlin as Chris Halliwell and Arthur as Wyatt, being all BAMF against warlock Mordred". I took the prompt and I changed it a little, but I hope this was at least slightly similar to what the requester wanted. This story is not a crossover, is a reincarnation fic based on Charmed. At the moment, the story is unbetaed; if someone wants to help **Missy_sansin** and myself cleaning the mistakes we probably skipped, we would be grateful.

**Disclaimer: ****Merlin ****belongs ****to ****the ****BBC; ****Charmed ****belongs ****to ****the ****WB ****and ****the ****fantasies ****are ****all ****mine.**

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><p>"<em>There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul."<em>

_Ella Wheeler Wilcox._

Once upon a time there was a King, expected for a long time by every magical being in the realm; this King was destined to change things, and create a different era for all the people under his reign. In order to fulfill that destiny, he was assigned a powerful sorcerer to help him, to guard him and guide him in the moments of despair. As long as they walked the same path and understood that the welfare of the people in the kingdom was more important than any other petty matter, the golden era would prevail. It was destined, if this fortune arrived, that things would change in the future, allowing magic be part of the world instead of something that should be hidden. It would be the next step into a new civilization, if the King kept his reign with fairness and impartiality, without any attachments that could potentially cloud his judgment.

Magical beings feared that the King's emotions could be the failure in the prophesied destiny; many before him had failed, and this time it was believed that having a sorcerer with the King would prevent the potential failure to the future everyone was seeking for. Unfortunately, it was not the King, who failed, but the sorcerer; the King, who once was just and generous, became resentful and vindictive, and the sorcerer failed in his guidance, swearing loyalty to the King, and not the Kingdom. He was used as a weapon for revenge, and the new era was consumed by the bitterness of the King and the misplaced loyalty of the sorcerer.

Destiny failed, and a curse was placed on the Kingdom. They would reincarnate as many times as necessary until that prophecy was accomplished, no matter how many lives that would take. Each time, there was a failure, and magical beings resigned themselves at the inevitable vicious circle they would relive. Feelings of vengeance and resentment overcome generosity and fairness. It was distressing, but inevitable. Until justice was brought, they would be stuck committing the same sins over and over.

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><p>Merlin knew about the prophecy, the downfall and the curse. How could he not, when he was the one blamed for the entire thing? He knew he failed, but he was not the only one at blame. Magical beings decided kindly to let him handle things, and conveniently forgot that those same magical beings caused the disgrace of the Kingdom. True, Arthur was filled with resentment and hate, but in the end so were Mordred, Morgana and all those sorcerers with personal vendettas against Camelot. The same curse was caused by Mordred, unable to admit defeat before Merlin. It sounded like a fairy tale with a very depressing ending; magical beings were immortal, which didn't mean incapable of dying, just that they were fortunate enough to remember past lives unlike those without any magic. In fact, Merlin thought it was stupid saying they were immortals, but he hardly could discuss terminology with the Druids when they were so determined for Merlin to change things each time he was reborn.<p>

In this life, Merlin was four when he remembered Camelot. However, he wasn't called Merlin here; he was Christopher, and his mother was Helena. When he woke up after remembering Hunith and his past life, he could see his mother in Helena, the kind eyes and the big smile… and mostly, the acceptance. Merlin was magical since he was born, like every life before this one; nevertheless, in this one something changed. His father, previous Dragonlord, was now a Whitelighter.

Magic, in spite of the curse, evolved. Druids now were called 'The Elders', given the profound knowledge of magic and the nature; Seers joined them, and they were, in Merlin's opinion, a bunch of people in robes (and probably without wearing anything underneath), being all self-righteous and annoying. Apparently, his father deserved to be maintained as a magic guide instead of just keep reincarnating. He didn't know much because his father (he called him Balinor even when he didn't know the name he had taken in this life) had never been there. Like the original time, it was just him and his mother. And she didn't talk about his father, much like Hunith hadn't done it either.

Merlin was four when he remembered Camelot. And decided that this was the last time they would need to repeat things. This was the time where the curse would break, and he would make sure of that.

As years passed, Merlin realized that even when magic had evolved, people's narrow minds hadn't. Before, magic was banned; in these days it was feared. Before, if you were a magic user, you were burnt at the stake; now you were locked up in a 4x4 room with white walls, accusing you of being mental. All those who could perform magic had to hide, almost like it was a shame having that gift. Magic was still frowned upon and persecuted, and while Merlin held no hope in changing everyone, he knew that with small accomplishments, things could be different.

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><p>He started with his neighbor, Andrew. When he saw him, he knew immediately: Will. They were six when Merlin decided to show him his magic despite his mother's warnings. As expected, Will just laughed and said he was crazy. Then Merlin made him float around the room, which was how his mother found them.<p>

"Chris!" His mother said with dismay.

Startled, Merlin lost control of the enchantment and let Will fall from a considerable height. He tried to move the couch quickly to avoid hurting his friend; unfortunately, that failed as well.

"Dear God!" His mother said, running towards Will. "Andrew? Are you okay?"

"Ouch." Will pouted… and Merlin couldn't help to smile. That reaction was so… Will.

"It doesn't look bad; it's just a bump… are you hurt somewhere else, Andrew?" His mother kept inspecting Will while he beamed.

"That was so awesome! Again, Chris!" Will grinned.

His mother's glare went unnoticed to him, as he was grinning back at his friend. He left less lonely with Will here, even when he didn't remember him.

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><p>When Merlin was eleven, he was coming back from school when he entered his house and saw a man there with his mother. In the moment the man set eyes on him, he recognized him immediately.<p>

"Gaius!" Merlin ran and hugged him tightly.

"I haven't been called that in years, but I'm glad you recognized me." Merlin could feel Gaius' smile while he hugged him back.

"How could I not?" Merlin smirked. "You're still old."

"Chris!" His mother said in a chastising tone.

"It's okay Helena… Chris and I have our own history." Gaius winked at him.

"Of course," his mother sounded rather resigned. "I'll leave you two alone."

When his mother went back to the kitchen, Merlin turned to Gaius… he had so many questions, and yet none of them could be voiced.

"Merlin, how long have you remembered your past life?" Gaius looked at him with a certain mischief.

"I think I was four when I started recalling everything… why?"

"Well my child, as you know, we all are determined to make things different this time. I have arrived early to give you guidance and prevent… certain things happening again." Gaius sighed.

Merlin felt a small stab of guilt. Gaius had wanted to help him, and he had disappointed him every time.

"It's not your fault, Gaius. Arthur and I were complete idiots."

"I'm not arguing that point," Gaius smiled weakly, "but it could help if we change things a bit, won't you think?"

"I suppose."

Gaius kept staring at him like that would bring anything new to their encounter. After a few minutes, Gaius shook his head.

"You know why you are half Whitelighter, Merlin?" Gaius asked.

"My mother likes bad boys?" Merlin shrugged. He didn't know why, but he did know his mother always fell for magical beings somehow.

"I hardly would call a Whitelighter a bad boy," the corners of Gaius' mouth lifted up slightly. "I guess in a way you are correct. Before you were reincarnated here… two years prior to be exact, a child was born. The Twice Blessed, who could change the ways of magic."

Merlin didn't like where this conversation was going.

"Half witch and half Whitelighter, he was the first child conceived in these particular circumstances; the Elders gave their consent because they knew he was destined to change things, being the son of one of the Charmed Ones and a very well-regarded Whitelighter…"

Of course, this time Arthur would get magical powers; it wasn't like he wasn't already magical, his whole conception was brought by magic. In fact, without magic, Arthur wouldn't have existed. His birth was always followed by some silly title, like 'The Once and Future King', and now 'The Twice Blessed. It was just Arthur, enormous prat, to him. Nobody shared his point of view.

"Arthur has been reborn," Merlin said, despairingly, "once again with a weight too heavy for his shoulders, right?"

"You know the curse, Merlin." Gaius said crossly, like it was Merlin's fault when he was just pointing out the obvious. "He's The Twice Blessed, and he will have the power to change magic as it was destined before. However, he needs guidance."

"Give him the yellow pages," Merlin muttered. He knew very well what was next on this conversation.

"Merlin." Gaius chastised. "Your mother has been informed about this… I'm taking you with me."

"Where to?" Merlin frowned. He had never been apart from his mother at this early age.

"Gipsy camp. Druids who refused to become Elders and live in touch with nature. When you reunite with Arthur –"

"If," Merlin corrected; they wanted to do things differently, so naturally something to change was having Arthur and he attached to the hip, right? It certainly would work for him.

"When," Gaius said with force. No, no getting out from falling for the prat again then, "you will be more attuned with your magic; you will be trained and you will be more mature. We need one of you behaving correctly, and you were selected for this task as Arthur has… some temper to control."

"You mean he's stubborn and stupid." Merlin smirked.

"Now, now, don't insult him. You haven't even met him yet." Gaius said with fondness.

"Wyatt Halliwell has created a reputation of his own in the magical world. I have heard stories when I cross paths with other magic users. I should have known he was Arthur; all his actions had 'prat and obstinate' written all over it."

"Indeed." Gaius lifted his eyebrow. "Just as your actions have 'Merlin' written all over it; I've spoken to Helena a few times, and I know you are as reckless and irresponsible as you were in Camelot."

"I was not irresponsible! I was trying to save your precious 'Once and Future King' from being 'Once and Dead King', okay?" Merlin snapped.

"Merlin, saving Arthur from danger doesn't mean you need to act like a fool." Gaius chastised again. "You need control, my boy. It's why we are traveling. Don't worry, you'll continue with your regular activities; being able to orb will make things easier. Even when this time we have more advantages, it would be nice if the curse is lifted and magic can be seen as normal, like having blue eyes."

"Yeah, Harry Potter has made this look like a blast." Merlin muttered, and while they were at it, why in seven hells they use his name as a curse as well? He had several issues with those books.

"I was referring more to the fact we can have Magical Schools and be able to train," Gaius smiled, "but I suppose you don't like your name used like that, uh?"

"It's not like they could ask for my opinion; as much as fictional books portray magic as fun and wicked, we still have to hide. We are feared, and we perform magic like it was a shame instead of being proud of it. We have to hide our power and being careful about it. It's getting more tiring each time, Gaius."

"This is why we must end it. It has been decided that when you reach thirteen, you will be named Arthur's Whitelighter by the Elders." Gaius announced solemnly, like it was an honor.

"How nice of you to ask for my consent." Merlin said bitterly; first the Dragon and now a bunch of stuck-up Druids. Why was everyone so keen in giving Merlin a purpose in life? He could find his own purpose, thank you.

"You know your destiny is tied to Arthur's." Gaius said sympathetically.

"Lucky me." Merlin sighed. "Wait, he's half Whitelighter, like me, right? He doesn't need a Whitelighter, he's a fucking one!"

"Language, Merlin," Gaius reprimanded. "Don't worry about it; we shall make the necessary arrangements for this to happen."

"I knew I could count on all of you to ruin my life, once more," Merlin said sulkily.

"It is our pleasure." Gaius mocked.

And that was how Merlin started training to become, yet again, Arthur's servant.

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><p>It was different from Camelot. Even when back then he was born with magic, he was powerful and had a hard time controlling his spells and enchantments, which led to cause more trouble than expected, for him and Arthur. In the end, panic and fear helped and perhaps rashly, but the work was done. With the Druids, he was learning how to control his magic, and be able to think quickly instead of just improvise spells from under his sleeve. He didn't understand how now the Druids were called gypsies; there were gypsies in Camelot as well, so he didn't know at what point they reached a common ground with the Druids, but it must have been around the time magic evolved to maintain a united front. After Albion's downfall, most magic users decided that as long as they were in agreement about the foremost goal (meaning: freeing magic without too many casualties), there was no use in being affronted with each other. Then they all parted ways in what they considered their personal missions, and here he was, surrounded by Druids (who, by the way, still call him Emrys. He would be Emrys until this curse broke), getting the knowledge he refused back in the old days.<p>

Wyatt Halliwell was supposed to be the most powerful magical being, which made him vulnerable given his temper; mostly, Arthur's temper. The Druids told him how they thought Merlin would be this Twice Blessed person, but apparently King Arthur was meant for greatness, to reign and guide. This time, having powers of his own could give him the perspective he needed to accomplish his destiny and end the curse. Merlin understood that, he didn't resent Arthur for being powerful, he had always been powerful, magic made no difference in that. However, the Druids made clear that if Arthur was powerful, Merlin was, practically, invincible. Emrys was still the highest-powered magic being to exist, and that didn't change with the arrival of The Twice Blessed The Twice Blessed had the influence, but Emrys had control, and could defeat The Twice Blessed in a blink of an eye if he wanted to. Of course that wouldn't happen; Merlin was tied to Arthur, and he was still responsible for his safety. Rather repetitive, but as the Great Dragon had said, they were two sides of the same coin.

Perhaps what shocked Merlin the most during his training was learning that Uther Pendragon, as expected, was part of this era as well, but he wasn't Arthur's father. He was a Witch hunter; not surprising given his background. However, what Merlin found strange was that Uther and Arthur had no direct or indirect relation. This certainly was something different, but when he questioned the Druids about it, they just stared at him like he hadn't said anything at all, and gave their usual mystical answer 'it's not your time to know, Emrys'; then they walked away leaving Merlin standing there, utterly confused.

He felt he had the right to know what was going on, particularly if Uther was a Witch hunter, which meant that Arthur could be in danger. He was dismissed with his concerns too, and he had to admit that if Arthur was the son of one of the Charmed Ones and a Whitelighter, the last thing he needed was protection. This also meant that having a Whitelighter assigned to Arthur was stupid, but if he said that out loud, glares were thrown at him and whispers about Emrys still has his impertinent mouth would follow him for a few days. He managed to obtain information about Uther… apparently his wife was killed by a warlock, and what changed here was that his unborn son died as well. The rest was like their original time, Uther seeking revenge in all sorcerers, demons and witches that crossed his path.

There was something off about this story, but Merlin could decipher what it was. He also felt it was important, and wanted to locate Uther to know about the potential danger they could face soon; he failed, and he knew the Druids had a big part in this as they blocked every try Merlin made to find him. He eventually gave up; he could protect Arthur, as long as they both remembered the greater good. Petty vendettas and saving a soul that didn't want to be saved in the first place shouldn't take priority again.

Merlin would make sure of that this time.

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><p>Merlin was nervous; it was going to be the first time he would meet Arthur, and he imagined all sort of reactions, but most of them were inclined to rejection. Arthur didn't like people bossing him around, and let's face it, being a Whitelighter implied some bossing. It was the first time Arthur had magic of his own; it was expected, when he was created by magic that the gift would materialize inside him eventually, but it also guaranteed that his cockiness probably increased ten times than their original time. If Merlin had a hard time dealing with an over-confident Arthur, now perhaps it would be impossible. He had to his advantage the knowledge the Druids had passed onto him; he was sure the Charmed Ones, as powerful as they were, functioned the same way he did before, in Camelot; trial and error. They learned as they defeated demons and warlocks, so he probably knew more about magic than Arthur.<p>

"But I don't need a Whitelighter!" Gaius and he heard Arthur's voice coming from the kitchen. It made Merlin tremble, since he had not heard that voice in a long time.

It was hard to understand how you can hear the voice and see the person you have shared most of your life with even when that person had reincarnated in someone different. The Druids said it was the soul that recognizes your history, and then you shape the others in what your soul yearns for. It would explain why he heard Arthur's voice so clear, when he was sure that Wyatt Halliwell must have a different tone.

"Charming as usual, right?" Merlin joked to give time to his heart to calm. It was beating faster, expecting to twinge when Arthur appeared in front of him.

"That's our Prince." Gaius smiled kindly. "Calm yourself, Merlin. This is not Arthur's decision, as it wasn't his decision to make you his manservant. These things are foreseen."

"I don't think he will like this… if he remembers."

"He is most likely to have blocked the memories. You know Arthur; he doesn't like to remember failure."

"He has selective memory, Gaius. He remembered each time I neglected my duties, but he conveniently forgot I was doing it so to save his head. Ungrateful bastard."

"I never understood those pet names you gave the Prince." Gaius sighed. "You two shared a very eccentric relationship. To start with the right foot, I suggest moderating that tongue of yours, Merlin."

"Yeah, yeah." Merlin waved his hand. Everyone had an opinion about how he should deal with Arthur. None of them was smothering him in his sleep.

"Merlin, you must be careful. You know in this timeline, the Charmed ones doubt your existence, and the stories that flowed about you and Arthur are… peculiar. Piper Halliwell, as you have learned, is the new Lady of the Lake."

"A little old for me, Gaius, and also married." Merlin smirked. Freya's destiny changed from Lady of the Lake to magical healer; Merlin was glad about that.

"You know what I meant. Originally, the Angels of Destiny wanted to erase Arthur's ability to wield Excalibur. At least that was what they all thought."

"Are you saying they are wrong?"

"There was… a small adjustment to that situation. Angels of Destiny, Druids and Elders discussed these circumstances several times. It cannot be denied that Wyatt Halliwell is Arthur Pendragon; what it's debatable is if he should be allowed to have what Arthur Pendragon lost willingly."

"And you waited until now to tell me?" Merlin snapped. Only Gaius would tell him the most basic information in a place where he couldn't scream at him.

"It never came up," excused Gaius, which they both knew it was a big, fat lie.

"Arthur didn't want to lose his Kingdom. He tried to fight the situation. I was there; I know that very well." Merlin defended him.

"Then you know he lost that battle and let his revenge meddle in the prosperity he fought so hard to build after Uther's departure. He made a mistake, Merlin, and it cost losing Albion. You made a mistake as well, and it cost you Arthur's life. Are you ready to face this situation without letting the past interfere again?" Gaius arched an eyebrow.

"The past will always interfere, Gaius. That's the point of this charade, right? To make things different." Merlin crossed his arms, defiantly.

"Yes, but also it means letting things go. Love it's not forbidden, Merlin," Gaius tilted his head. "Maybe this time you can understand that as well."

Love; love ruined everything. If it hadn't been for Gwen falling for Lancelot and still marrying Arthur, and Arthur loving her to the border of madness… and Merlin, loving Arthur more than anything and letting himself be used as a weapon for his revenge… Love should be forbidden. It was why they were here in the first place, the stupid curse Mordred set for everyone when he lost Morgana.

Love should be forbidden. They weren't meant to be in love, they were meant to fix things.

"It's not open to discussion, Wyatt!" Merlin heard a woman's voice, probably Piper Halliwell. "You're irresponsible, and this could be a good guide for you since you don't seem to be too keen on letting your father and I help you. You'll have a Whitelighter, and that's final. Now, if I heard about you being rude to him, mark my words, I'm making you clean demon's blood for a month. Smile and go to the living-room to meet your new Whitelighter."

"She's strict," Merlin pointed out.

"She's a Halliwell," Gaius said as if that explained everything. Merlin felt a small rush of relief; at least he wouldn't be alone in his crusade to shape Arthur up.

"We could have used her help back in the old days."

"Of course, since the problem was not having a parental figure to guide Arthur." Gaius said, displaying his talent for sarcasm.

Perhaps Merlin should be prepared to receive Arthur, but he was more focused on why Gaius sounded so British when they were in America. In reality, he was just trying to distract himself before the inevitable encounter. They heard footsteps coming closer, and Merlin sat straight as if would make any difference in the upcoming events.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting for this long." Merlin saw a woman with dark hair and brown eyes coming to the living-room. "Wyatt was late from school."

"It is of no consequence," Gaius smiled warmly.

The moment Merlin set eyes on Arthur, he felt overjoyed and his magic stirred inside him, like it had been waiting for Arthur's arrival too long. Arthur looked at him with disdain; he didn't remember Merlin. He tried to subdue the disappointment this caused. He didn't expect Arthur throwing himself at his arms, but he at least wanted the certain familiarity he had been craving for a while. Deep down, he knew this was best; Arthur wouldn't get dragged into past events like it had happened in previous lives, yet a small part of him (a selfish part) wanted recognition and camaraderie. A tiny part of him wanted Arthur just for himself.

He looked as handsome as he remembered, only slightly younger. Blond, blue eyes, broad shoulders, and of course, a killer smile (he hadn't seen Arthur's smile yet, but he was sure he kept that trait). Arthur, his heart screamed, demanding for Merlin to do many things; to tease him, to chastise him, to hug him… to kiss him. Arthur would be always the love of his life, no matter how many times they reincarnate. He was doomed since Camelot, and not by Mordred's curse, but by his own foolish heart.

"A little old to be a Whitelighter, isn't he?" Arthur said snappily when he walked into the living-room next to his mother.

Merlin fought hard the big grin that threatened to appear on his lips.

"Wyatt!" Piper hissed angrily.

"What? I'm just saying that he could be an Elder, given his age… I'm trying to be nice."

Yes, this was Arthur all right. Always screwing up when he tried to be nice. In fact, Arthur and nice shouldn't be in the same sentence, and he should be forbidden from trying to be polite.

"Please, excuse my son." Piper said wearily. "He doesn't have a lock for that mouth of his."

Merlin agreed. He was mouthy, but Arthur… words where his favorite weapon.

"I understand. Young Chris here is also difficult. Teenagers, right?"

Arthur looked at him again; this time with an eyebrow lifted.

"Leo tells me you are much respected among the Elders, Mr. Garrent." Piper kept the small talk out of politeness.

"Gilbert will do; no need for formalities." Gaius smiled gently. "Leo is a good man; we have him in high esteem."

"He said you will be an excellent Whitelighter for our son." Merlin noticed the frown on Arthur's face.

"I believe there is some mistake here. I'm just accompanying my nephew," Nephew? Gaius failed to mention he would lie about their relation. "Chris is Wyatt's Whitelighter."

"Chris?" Piper and Arthur asked at the same time.

"That would be me." Merlin thought prudent to intervene. "It's nice to meet you both."

"Um…"

"A kid is going to be my Whitelighter?" Arthur scoffed.

"I admit it's surprising… I didn't know they assigned Whitelighters this young." Piper tried some diplomacy.

"What are you? Eight?" Arthur kept his cold tone.

"I could ask you the same thing." Merlin bit back; he caught the warning glance Gaius sent in his direction.

"You're a kid! He's a kid, mom! There's no way I'm going to babysit a child!" Arthur started raising his voice.

"Do you think I'm happy about this?" Merlin snapped. "You are a brat! Just because your mother is one of the Charmed Ones, it doesn't make you perfect. Stop acting like a child and be nice."

Damn. He was supposed to be the mature one, and here he was, arguing with Arthur like they both were children. He gave an apologetic look at Gaius; he was surprised to see him smiling. He glanced at Piper's, seeing her also with a smile on her face.

"You're perfect for the job," Piper said more enthusiastically. "I can see you won't be seduced by my son's smile."

_Don't be so sure_, thought Merlin, but he just smiled shyly.

"Mom, you can't be serious!" Arthur said with dismay. "He's a kid!"

"So are you," Merlin argued.

"This doesn't concern you, little child." Arthur said mockingly. "Go to the playground and leave the adults discussing this situation."

"Are you always this pleasant? Man, you sure are a spoiled little fuck –"

"Mer… Chris!" Gaius interrupted him, and almost let slip his original name.

"Sorry, I meant no disrespect." Merlin inclined his head.

"Wyatt started it." Piper shrugged. "He earned whatever thing you were going to say. Apologize, Wyatt."

Merlin could see Arthur struggling with his pride. He hated saying 'sorry', even when half the time he _should_ apologize.

"I'm sorry." Arthur muttered.

"I can't hear you." Piper demanded.

"Sorry, okay? I'm sorry for being rude to a kid."

"Maybe we could leave the boys to get to know each other?" Suggested Gaius; the traitor.

"Excellent idea. Why don't you come to the kitchen? We can have coffee in the meantime." Piper smiled. "Wyatt, behave."

"Yes, mom."

"Chris, explain Wyatt about your new partnership… and be nice about it." Gaius used the '_you __better __convince __him __to __keep __you __around_' tone.

"Yes, _uncle_." Merlin scorned.

If Gaius heard the mock in Merlin's words, he didn't show. He saw the adults leaving (Arthur did have a point; they both were teenagers, hardly what you would expect for the Twice Blessed and his Whitelighter), and he looked at Arthur. He had the same fuck you look he was familiarized from previous lives.

"So… you're a Halliwell." Merlin thought prudent to try breaking the tension.

"You sure have a gift to point out the obvious," Arthur snarled. "Is it a Whitelighter thing, or are you just an idiot?"

"Takes one to know one," Merlin spat. "Look, we can be opposed to this, but our relatives aren't going to let us out so easy; at least we could pretend to keep this thing for a while, until they believe it's no longer necessary, don't you think?"

"How old are you anyway?"

"Thirteen."

"Great, two years younger. I always wanted a brother; I guess you could be a poor substitute." Arthur mocked.

"I would hate having a brother as spoiled as you, so let's stick to the Whitelighter thing, okay?"

"I'm half Whitelighter, you know?" Arthur started to point out all his glory.

"Contrary to what you believe, I'm not an idiot. I know very well who you are." In more ways than what you can imagine.

"Then you must know this is pointless. Why a Whitelighter would need another Whitelighter?"

"I don't know, perhaps because some Whitelighters are complete assholes?" Merlin couldn't help the gibe.

"You can't talk to me that way!" Arthur said, surprised.

Before Merlin could answer that he could talk to Arthur in any way he wanted, particularly now that he didn't have stocks to lock him in, they both saw a black blur. It was a reflex; he saw a dark ball, and he pushed Arthur out of the way, responding with a fireball of his own.

"Demon!" He heard Arthur screaming from the floor.

Everything happened too fast for Merlin to register what actually was going on. The demon threw another dark ball, but this time Arthur was prepared and just made it disappear with a wave of his hand. Then the demon was blown-up by Piper, who came running towards the living-room with Gaius closer to her.

"What the hell happened?" She asked, looking at Arthur with doubt.

"I don't know… it was faster, and I couldn't orb away," Arthur explained.

"Thank God Chris was here then," Piper said. "See? This is exactly why you need a Whitelighter, Wyatt. You can't rely on your powers all the time and you aren't a healer; Chris certainly could have used his powers to heal you if you were hit, and you sometimes think that because –"

"I know, mom!" Arthur interrupted Piper's rant. "I need to talk to Chris. Alone."

"Wyatt, if you so much as blink and hurt him, I will…"

"God, mom, I just want to talk to him. How about a little confidence in your supposedly good son, okay?" Arthur snapped. "Come with me, _Chris_."

Merlin didn't have time to register the tone Arthur used to say his current name when he was grabbed by the wrist and dragged out from the room.

"Hey, let go!" Merlin tried to pull away from Arthur's grip, but he just held him tighter. Since he was giving Arthur a hard time to climb up the stairs, Arthur opted to orb them away to his room, or at least he assumed this was where they were.

"What is wrong with you?" Merlin complained when Arthur finally let go of him and stepped back.

"I _saw_ you."

"Good, it means you aren't blind then." Merlin snapped.

"No, I _saw_ you. Your eyes… they were gold. And suddenly, you were taller, and your ears got bigger… and your eyes changed from green to dark blue." Arthur said agitatedly. Merlin started to panic.

"Maybe it was the demon's smoke… sometimes it causes hallucinations," Merlin tried to explain quickly.

"No, I saw you," why does Arthur keep repeating that? "And I _remembered_… I remember now… _Merlin_."

He felt the blood draining from his body. Arthur Pendragon was in front of him, and he was waiting for a long explanation of this situation.


End file.
